Topi Rönni is on the sidelines from national team activities at least until his case has been processed in the district court.
In October, it was reported that the 19-year-old center forward of the ice hockey SM league Tappara Top Rönni accused of rape. Rönni himself said in Tappara’s press release that he was the player in question.
The suspected crime took place more than two years ago, when Rönni was a minor. The player said that he will remain out of Tappara’s activities for the time being. Rönni’s case will be heard by the Helsinki District Court in March.
On November 6, Tappara announced that Rönni would return to Tappara’s team. He has since played in the SM league and in Tappara’s under-20s.
– It is good to remember that in Finland the judiciary has the power to judge and the presumption of innocence is an essential part of both human rights and Finnish legal principles. We will now let the judiciary do its work in peace, CEO of Tappara Mika Aro comment.
Aro emphasized that the situation is clear in terms of labor legislation, i.e. suspicion of a crime is not a reason for terminating an employment relationship or moving an employee aside.
A year ago, Rönni was part of the Young Lions’ composition at the Under-20 World Championships. This year, Rönni cannot be selected for the Young Lions, as the World Youth Championship is played in Sweden.
Be the first to report on it MTV Sports, who had clarified Rönni’s position in the national team. Communications Director of the Ice Hockey Association Henna Malmberg confirmed the same things to Urheilu.
According to Malmberg, the Ice Hockey Association respects the presumption of innocence, but the association has, however, ruled that a player cannot participate in national team activities if the criminal process involves a procedure that grossly violates another person’s integrity or sexual self-determination, or a criminal charge that is likely to result in imprisonment.
According to the Criminal Code, rape is punishable by imprisonment for a minimum of one and a maximum of six years, but if Rönni were to be convicted, in his case, the punishment would be affected by the fact that he was a minor at the time of the act.
The Ice Hockey Association hopes that the association’s principle would have a preventive effect on the unwanted behavior of players working in a public profession.
The position of the ice hockey association in such situations is different from that of the clubs, because the association is not in the position of an employer in relation to the player.